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Researchers Find Foaming Bioplastics Reduce Environmental Persistence

Seawater testing shows rapid degradation for potential polystyrene substitute.

From Ocean Plastic Prevention to Advanced Recycling: Highlights from the 2024 Plastic Sustainability Innovation Awards

The Plastics Industry Association announced winners in four categories, plus a Peoples' Choice Award.

Eastman to Source Rejected Postconsumer PET From Dentis Group

Agreement will provide 30,000 tons of feedstock annually for Eastman's planned chemical recycling facility in France.

Eastman Will Recycle Colored and Opaque PET Supplied by Rumpke

Agreement with MRF operator will send colored and opaque materials to Eastman for chemical recycling.

Making the Circular Economy a Reality

Driven by brand owner demands and new worldwide legislation, the entire supply chain is working toward the shift to circularity, with some evidence the circular economy has already begun.

Biopolymer Producer NatureWorks Names New CEO

Eric Ripple becomes Natureworks CEO and president.

ASTM Standard To Support Sustainable Plastics

Plastics committee is developing a standard to support a circular economy for plastics.

Nalgene Bottle Production Completes Conversion to Certified 50% Recycled Material

Nalgene Outdoor has completed the conversion of its reusable water bottle manufacturing process to Eastman's Tritan Renew.

Black + Decker Power Tools Housed in Chemically Recycled PET

Each power tool contains the equivalent of eight to 18 single-use 16.9 fl-oz water bottles.

Collaboration will bring Recycled Plastic to Medical Device Packaging

Agreement between Eastman and Ethicon will put copolyester derived from recycled materials in sterile barrier applications.

50 Years...600 Issues...and Still Counting

Matt Naitove marks his first half-century in plastics reporting, with a few of his favorite headlines.

ZAGG Partners with Eastman to Produce Smartphone Cases Made with Tritan Renew

Eastman’s Tritan Renew copolyester will be incorporated into ZAGG’s Gear4 protective smartphone cases.

Eastman to Invest $1 Billion to Build Plastics Recycling Facility in France

The plant is expected to be operational by 2025.

Eastman Highlights Circular Economy and Other Areas as Drivers of Growth

Eastman expects to announce at least one additional circular economy project in the first half of 2022.

First Headphones to Market Made of Sustainable Materials

thinksound’s new over-ear headphones made with Eastman’s Trēva Engineering Bioplastic

Chemical Recycling Poised to Take Off

Investments in chemical-recycling facilities abound as the industry moves closer to the Circular Economy model, accompanied by plenty of new rollouts of packaging made from chemical recycling.

P&G to Use Eastman Renew Materials in Select Products and Packaging

P&G is working to integrate Eastman Renew materials into select product packaging later this year.

Medical-Grade TPEs Bond Effectively to Copolyester

Joint testing by Teknor Apex and Eastman showed Medalist TPEs overmolded onto Eastman Tritan copolyester yielded durable bond for grips, gaskets, and other soft/rigid items

Usage of Eastman Tritan Renew Material Continues to Grow

Tritan Renew is made through Eastman's Advanced Circular Recycling technologies.

Incipio Group to Use Eastman Tritan Renew for Select Product Lines

The products will incorporate Tritan Renew with 50% certified recycled content.

New LVMH Packaging Using Eastman's Molecular Recycling Technologies

Eastman's Advanced Circular Recycling technologies produce resins from mixed waste plastic rather than fossil-based feedstocks.

Proprietary Copolyester Used in Two COVID-Fighting Applications

Eastman’s Tritan chosen for its transparency and ability to withstand the frequent disinfection and cleaning required in health settings.

Tupperware to Expand its Sustainable Product Portfolio with Tritan Renew

Eastman’s Tritan Renew gains further commercial traction.

Eastman’s First Sustainability-Based Agreement with a Major Prestige Beauty House Involves its Chemically Recycled Renew PET Copolymer Portfolio

Eastman’s agreement with The Estée Lauder Companies expected to help drive greater use of recycled or recyclable plastics in luxury cosmetics packaging.

Designing Recycled Content: How Processors Fit In

Brand owners, material suppliers and processors weigh in on the challenges and opportunities of designing applications with recycled content.

Specialty 50% Recycled Content Copolyester Gets Further Commercial Adoption

Eastman’s Tritan Renew copolyester now used by Italian manufacaturer of water bottles and food storage containers.

Eastman’s ‘Acetate Renew’ to be Used By Luxury Eyewear Manufacturer

Thélios to use Mazzucchelli new acetate sheet made from Eastman’s chemically recycled acetate.

Eastman to Build World-Scale Plastic-to-Plastic Molecular Recycling Facility

With this significant investment, Eastman will use its methanolysis process to convert more than 250 million lb/yr of polyester-based waste into high-performance copolyesters.

Cosmetics Packaging Made with Eastman Cristal Renew

Axilone is producing luxury packaging with 50% certified recycled content in the U.S., Europe and China.

20 Good Things to Come Out of 2020—Part 4

Good news was there if you knew where to look for it—in the pages of Plastics Technology magazine or right here on our website. Here’s a review of headlines you can feel good about.

Eastman Partners with Compounder Gruppo Maip to Formulate Biobased and Molecular Recycled Content Plastics for Automotive Interiors

Eastman’s Tritan Renew copolyester and Treva Renew engineering bioplastic to play key role in new Eastman-Gruppo Maip partnership.

Eastman Introduces Tritan Renew with Up to 50% Recycled Content

Courtland Jenkins, Commercial Director, Eastman Specialty Plastics, talks about the significance of launching Tritan with the high recycled content.

For Medical-Parts Molder, Better Chemical Resistance Just ‘Drops In’

Switch from PC/ABS to Eastman’s Tritan MXF copolyester helps PIM meet need for greater resistance to a wider range of disinfectants with no processing tradeoffs.

Eastman Collaborates with Rotuba to Make Face Shields for Coronavirus Pandemic Frontliners

Eastman’s high-molecular-weight cellulose acetate CA-398-30 boasts excellent physical and optical properties for molded items such as the Rotuba face shields in the fight against COVID-19.

Eastman, Rotuba Collaborate on Face Shields for Coronavirus Pandemic

Compounder and profile extruder transitions its business operations from making pens to manufacturing face shields by utilizing an existing material.

Eastman Discusses Reusable Sport Bottles Consumer Study; Sustainability Aspects

Brad Moncla, marketing segment manager for durables at Eastman, talks about the reusability of its Tritan products, sustainability, and a focus on the company’s COVID-19 response.

Eastman Donates Material For Coronavirus Face Shields to Protect Medical Workers

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is coordinating the effort to make 10,000 face shields in two weeks using 3D printers located at universities throughout the state.

Eastman to Produce Acetate Flake Made from Biobased and Recycled Content

Eastman’s Acetate Renew is a cellulose diacetate composed of 60% biobased and 40% certified recycled content.

Eastman Talks Increasing Demand for Recycled Materials

Holli Alexander, Eastman’s strategic initiative manager of global sustainability, discusses the company’s recycling initiatives.

Wide Spectrum of Enhanced Medical-Grade Resins & Compounds Spotlighted at MD&M West 2020

Targeted at an impressive array of applications, the range of new medical-grade materials include modified PC copolymers, PEBA and TPUs, specialty copolyesters, a gamut of engineered compounds, and an advanced LSR.

Custom Molder’s Strategic Edge: Top-Class Metrology Services

Molding good parts is not enough. Better and faster metrology services for tool qualification and process validation make the difference for Octex Group.

Materials: Flame-Resistant Specialty Copolyesters for Electronic Medical Devices

Eastman’s newly expanded portfolio of Tritan MXF copolyesters includes flame-retardant grades for housing and hardware of electronic devices.

Eastman to Use Reclaimed Polyester Carpet as Feedstock for Chemical Recycling

The reclaimed polyester carpet will be collected and processed by Circular Polymers, transported by railcar, and then upcycled by Eastman to produce new materials with certified recycled content.

Materials: Recycle Content Copolyesters for Cosmetic Cases

Eastman’s new copolyesters demonstrate circular economy credentials to the cosmetics sector.

Eastman Launches Chemical Recycling Innovation for Complex Plastic Waste

Eastman’s ‘carbon renewal technology’ can recycle difficult to recycle plastic waste such as flexible packaging and films.

Eastman Launches Chemical Recycling Innovation for Complex Mixed Plastic Waste

Eastman’s ‘carbon renewal technology’ can recycle mixed plastic waste such as flexible packaging and films.

Eastman to Launch Advanced Circular Recycling Technology

Through the methanolysis process, polyester-based waste products are broken down to their building blocks which can be reintroduced for new polyester-based polymer production.

Eastman to Launch Advanced Circular Recycling Technology

Through Eastman’s methanolysis process, polyester-based waste products are broken down to their monomers which can then be used to for new polyester production.

‘We Don’t Shy Away from a Challenge’

Meredith-Springfield thrives on technically difficult blow molding jobs that others avoid. Its latest pioneering effort is pushing the limits in the new field of EPET.

Industry Collaborations and Next-Generation Materials Highlighted by Eastman at MD&M West

Eastman’s collaboration with Clemson University includes leading manufacturer of disposable medical devices and innovative medical thermoformer.

Why Blow Molders Are Switching to EPET

High clarity, easy incorporation of handles, and recycling resin code No. 1 are the principal drivers for converting to EPET resins for extrusion blow molding.

Copolyester & Engineering Bioplastic Score Highly in Molded Acoustic Enclosures

Collaboration with audio product development pro resulted in in-ear monitor housings with superior acoustic performance.

Eight Eastman Copolyesters Get Cradle to Cradle Platinum Certification

This is the first time the company’s products have achieved the highest rating for Material Health and the first time Tritan has been included in the certification.

Materials: Self-Bonding LSR Optimizes Overmolding with Specialty Copolyester

Momentive’s new LSR series enables overmolding with Eastman’s Tritan in a single-step process.

Eastman Completes Tritan Copolyester Expansion

Plans to increase PETG & PCTG specialty copolyester capacity by 25% well underway.

NPE2018 New Technology Focus: Bioplastics & PCR Engineered Compounds

New formulations target more demanding applications in automotive, electronics and more.

Plastics Hall of Fame: 10 Inspiring Stories

Last evening, at the Linda W. Chapin Theatre, the Plastics Academy inducted 10 new members into the Plastics Hall of Fame. Meet these outstanding individuals with remarkable stories. Each one teaches a lesson of hard work and creative thinking.

David Cornell: Setting the Technical Foundation of Recycling

Considered a pioneer in defining the processes to produce bottle-grade PET and later helping set the guidelines for recycling, David Cornell earned a spot in the Plastics Hall of Fame this year.

Resins & Additives at NPE2018: Spotlight on Performance, Economy, Sustainability

NPE will host lots of news in engineered thermoplastic compounds, customized TPEs, polyolefins for packaging, bioplastics, recycled content compounds, purging agents, 3D printing materials, and a slew of innovative additives.

Materials: Copolyester Designed for Electronics Housings in Medical Devices

New copolyester available as a fully compounded, biocompatible, medical-grade polymer for medical device housings and hardware with strong impact and chemical resistance.

Recycling Needs Drive Innovation in Sleeve Labels

Materials suppliers and film processors have been hard at work creating new label offerings compatible with PET bottle recycling.

New Electric & Hybrid Injection Machines, and a ‘Sneak Peek’ at More to Come

Absolute Haitian unveils new Jenius Series, plus enhanced versions of the Mars, Venus and Zeres lines.

Materials: Cellulosic with Higher Dimensional Stability and Creep Resistance

Eastman’s new bioplastic boasts a significantly higher heat deflection temperature than standard CAP.

Eastman Launches Cellulose-Based Engineering Bioplastic at Chinaplas 2017

Based 50% on cellulose that is derived from sustainably managed forests, the material reportedly compares favorably to PC, ABS and PC/ABS blends.

High-Tech Blow Molding At Agri-Industrial Plastics

This family-owned custom molder stands out in its use of advanced computer and automation tools to claim a niche in large, complex, and multi-layer parts.

Profile Extruder Sees the Light

Rotuba exited the sheet business to focus on custom profiles for LED light fixtures. It now ranks as North America’s leading profile extruder in this burgeoning market.

Non-Ortho-Phthalates Gain Ground in Flexible PVC

Conversion to non-ortho-phthalate plasticizers expected to steadily continue.

DOTP/DEHT Plasticizer Conversion Up Nine-Fold

The move away from phthalates steadily gains speed.

Health, Eco Concerns Give Non-Phthalate Plasticizers a Push

New and improved formulations are displacing leading plasticizer DEHP; DINP’s future is also now shakier.

Transitioning From World’s Factory to World’s Designer

China has long since aggregated the means and materials of production, but increasingly it’s seeking to lay claim to the creative origins of products—the design.

New Materials Shine Bright In Growing LED Market

Rapid expansion of LED technology has spurred development of new formulations for a wide range of lighting components. Here are examples of activity in this fast-moving field.

R&D Thermoformer: Tek Pak Is Launch Pad For New Products

Toolmaker and thermoformer takes concepts to production-ready parts in record time.

Eastman Explores Processing of Tritan Copolyester For Small, Multicavity Medical Parts

A sophisticated 32-cavity mold and all-electric press are being used to define the process window and critical mold and part design criteria.

PETG Foam-Core Sheet Cushions Thermoformed Medical Packaging

New option is lighter, cleaner, tougher than HIPS at a comparable price.

Tooling at NPE: Valve Gates & Multi-Tips Top the News

There’s no letup in development of sophisticated hot-runner nozzles and controls. Here’s news in these and other tooling products at the show.

New Design Standards for Molders of Medical Connectors

The goal is to prevent dangerous misconnections through revisions of designs and materials choices.

Carbon Fiber Filament For New 3D Printing Capabilities

Just last year, Eastman Chemical and Helian Polymers of The Netherlands, a leader in filament 3D manufacturing, teamed up to launch a 3D printing filament under Helian’s ColorFabb brand based on Eastman’s Amphora 3D XT-copolyester.

MATERIALS AND ADDITIVES AT NPE: Spotlight on Performance, Economy, and Sustainability

Lots of news in engineering thermoplastic compounds, TPEs, and purging agents, plus a wide range of colorants and additives.

Why Five-Axis Cartesian Robots Are a Hit with Molders

Five-axis linear robots are proving to be a cost-effective alternative to six-axis articulated robots in many applications.

How Currier Puts the ‘Custom’ In Custom Blow Molding

The three key ingredients are responsiveness, full-service product development, and control over both the bottle and the cap.

APPLICATION: Newborn Hearing Screener Features New Opaque Copolyester

Eastman's new opaque copolyester replaces PC/ABS in newborn hearing screener housing.

Biocompatible, Zinc-Based Antibacterial Plastic Treatment

Two-year-old Dutch-Italian startup company invents biocompatible, high kill-rate antibacterial treament for any plastic.

Sleeve Labels Drive Packaging R&D

Machinery and material suppliers are collaborating on new labels that don’t gum up the lucrative PET bottle reclaim business.

APPLICATION: Vacuum-Seal Juice Container Made Of Tritan Copolyester

This container maintains freshness 125-200% longer than standard food containers.

'Germ Warfare’: New Materials Withstand Sterilization, Disinfectant Barrage

At recent Plastec West show, material suppliers introduced grades that can withstand more and more varied sterilizations and/or materials that utilize specialty additives to impart antimicrobial properties.

Copolyester Debuts in Luxury Drinkware Collections

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tritan proprietary copolyester from Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., is used in new luxury drinkware/tableware collections by both BarLuxe, Lenexa, Kansas and Taiwan’s Tzeng Shyng.

Novel Medical Applications for Copolyesters

One is a surgical instrument that cleans laparoscope lenses in situ during minimally-invasive surgeries—with a handle made of a blend of Eastman’s Ecdel copolyester TPE and its Eastar PETG.

Copolyester Used in Pneumatic Tube Carrier

WEB EXCLUSIVE: A new application of proprietary Tritan copolyester from Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., has been developed by Baltimore-based Pevco, a manufacturer of hospital pneumatic-tube delivery systems used to transport patient-critical materials between labs, pharmacies, blood banks, operating rooms, and emergency rooms. The new Pevco TEC-6 pneumatic tube carrier was designed specifically to be made with Tritan, according to Pevco’s director of product development and marketing Steve Dahl.

Rubbermaid Foodservice Containers Go BPA-Free

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Winchester, Va., has introduced a new line of commercial and institutional kitchen foodservice products made of BPA-free Tritan copolyester from Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn.

TPEs Move Up the Performance Scale

This first of two articles on directions in TPE development focuses on styrenic, copolyester, polyamide, and TP urethane elastomers. The following article covers olefinics—TPOs, TPVs, and POEs.

Dishwasher Safe: New Clear Copolyester Is Tougher, More Heat-Resistant, and Processes Easier, Too

In consumer goods markets, there are countless applications for clear plastics such as copolyesters, acrylic, SAN, amorphous nylon, and polycarbonate.

Is Clear Handleware Ready for Prime Time?

Clear handled bottles got a kick start earlier this year when nationally recognized Simply Orange Juice Co., Apopka, Fla., an affiliate of the Minute Maid division of The Coca-Cola Co., decided to bottle its orange juice in extrusion blow molded 89-oz copolyester containers.

HOW TO COMPARE DRYERS? A Complex Challenge With No Simple Answers

Is one type of resin dryer faster or more energy-efficient than another? That question prompts competing claims from suppliers—but very little concrete data. When one vendor performed controlled tests to get some answers, its results, published here for the first time, prompted further debate about the difficulties of making valid comparisons and the many complex issues involved in dryer selection.

Wood-Filled Plastics: They Need the Right Additives for Strength, Good Looks, and Long Life

Wood-plastic composites, or WPCs, are already a 1.3-billion-lb market and are growing at 20% annually.

Thermoplastic Polyesters: It's Time to Know Them Better

There’s more to TP polyesters than you think. You may know PET, PBT, and PETG—but what about PCT, PCTG, PCTA, and PTT? If you’re not sure what they are, how their properties compare, and who sells them, we have the answers—and lots of new developments to report.

Biodegradable Polyesters: Packaging Goes Green

The U.S. is catching up with Europe and Asia in exploring the potential of biodegradable polyesters in flexible and rigid packaging. Because of their cost, these resins often find use in blends with other degradable materials.

Foamed PET Sheet Tackles New Markets

Perpetually in its infancy, PET foam sheet has been a hard sell for packaging producers over nearly a decade. It found successful niches in thermoformed ovenable bakery trays, meat trays, and reheatable dinner trays for home delivery to disabled persons.

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Trade Names Offered by Eastman

Editorial, News, and Products

Researchers Find Foaming Bioplastics Reduce Environmental Persistence

From Ocean Plastic Prevention to Advanced Recycling: Highlights from the 2024 Plastic Sustainability Innovation Awards

Eastman to Source Rejected Postconsumer PET From Dentis Group

Eastman Will Recycle Colored and Opaque PET Supplied by Rumpke

Making the Circular Economy a Reality

Biopolymer Producer NatureWorks Names New CEO

ASTM Standard To Support Sustainable Plastics

Nalgene Bottle Production Completes Conversion to Certified 50% Recycled Material

Black + Decker Power Tools Housed in Chemically Recycled PET

Collaboration will bring Recycled Plastic to Medical Device Packaging

50 Years...600 Issues...and Still Counting

ZAGG Partners with Eastman to Produce Smartphone Cases Made with Tritan Renew

Eastman to Invest $1 Billion to Build Plastics Recycling Facility in France

Eastman Highlights Circular Economy and Other Areas as Drivers of Growth

First Headphones to Market Made of Sustainable Materials

Chemical Recycling Poised to Take Off

P&G to Use Eastman Renew Materials in Select Products and Packaging

Medical-Grade TPEs Bond Effectively to Copolyester

Usage of Eastman Tritan Renew Material Continues to Grow

Incipio Group to Use Eastman Tritan Renew for Select Product Lines

New LVMH Packaging Using Eastman's Molecular Recycling Technologies

Proprietary Copolyester Used in Two COVID-Fighting Applications

Tupperware to Expand its Sustainable Product Portfolio with Tritan Renew

Eastman’s First Sustainability-Based Agreement with a Major Prestige Beauty House Involves its Chemically Recycled Renew PET Copolymer Portfolio

Designing Recycled Content: How Processors Fit In

Specialty 50% Recycled Content Copolyester Gets Further Commercial Adoption

Eastman’s ‘Acetate Renew’ to be Used By Luxury Eyewear Manufacturer

Eastman to Build World-Scale Plastic-to-Plastic Molecular Recycling Facility

Cosmetics Packaging Made with Eastman Cristal Renew

20 Good Things to Come Out of 2020—Part 4

Eastman Partners with Compounder Gruppo Maip to Formulate Biobased and Molecular Recycled Content Plastics for Automotive Interiors

Eastman Introduces Tritan Renew with Up to 50% Recycled Content

For Medical-Parts Molder, Better Chemical Resistance Just ‘Drops In’

Eastman Collaborates with Rotuba to Make Face Shields for Coronavirus Pandemic Frontliners

Eastman, Rotuba Collaborate on Face Shields for Coronavirus Pandemic

Eastman Discusses Reusable Sport Bottles Consumer Study; Sustainability Aspects

Eastman Donates Material For Coronavirus Face Shields to Protect Medical Workers

Eastman to Produce Acetate Flake Made from Biobased and Recycled Content

Eastman Talks Increasing Demand for Recycled Materials

Wide Spectrum of Enhanced Medical-Grade Resins & Compounds Spotlighted at MD&M West 2020

Custom Molder’s Strategic Edge: Top-Class Metrology Services

Materials: Flame-Resistant Specialty Copolyesters for Electronic Medical Devices

Eastman to Use Reclaimed Polyester Carpet as Feedstock for Chemical Recycling

Materials: Recycle Content Copolyesters for Cosmetic Cases

Eastman Launches Chemical Recycling Innovation for Complex Plastic Waste

Eastman Launches Chemical Recycling Innovation for Complex Mixed Plastic Waste

Eastman to Launch Advanced Circular Recycling Technology

Eastman to Launch Advanced Circular Recycling Technology

‘We Don’t Shy Away from a Challenge’

Industry Collaborations and Next-Generation Materials Highlighted by Eastman at MD&M West

Why Blow Molders Are Switching to EPET

Copolyester & Engineering Bioplastic Score Highly in Molded Acoustic Enclosures

Eight Eastman Copolyesters Get Cradle to Cradle Platinum Certification

Materials: Self-Bonding LSR Optimizes Overmolding with Specialty Copolyester

Eastman Completes Tritan Copolyester Expansion

NPE2018 New Technology Focus: Bioplastics & PCR Engineered Compounds

Plastics Hall of Fame: 10 Inspiring Stories

David Cornell: Setting the Technical Foundation of Recycling

Resins & Additives at NPE2018: Spotlight on Performance, Economy, Sustainability

Materials: Copolyester Designed for Electronics Housings in Medical Devices

Recycling Needs Drive Innovation in Sleeve Labels

New Electric & Hybrid Injection Machines, and a ‘Sneak Peek’ at More to Come

Materials: Cellulosic with Higher Dimensional Stability and Creep Resistance

Eastman Launches Cellulose-Based Engineering Bioplastic at Chinaplas 2017

High-Tech Blow Molding At Agri-Industrial Plastics

Profile Extruder Sees the Light

Non-Ortho-Phthalates Gain Ground in Flexible PVC

DOTP/DEHT Plasticizer Conversion Up Nine-Fold

Health, Eco Concerns Give Non-Phthalate Plasticizers a Push

Transitioning From World’s Factory to World’s Designer

New Materials Shine Bright In Growing LED Market

R&D Thermoformer: Tek Pak Is Launch Pad For New Products

Eastman Explores Processing of Tritan Copolyester For Small, Multicavity Medical Parts

PETG Foam-Core Sheet Cushions Thermoformed Medical Packaging